The first fully recyclable dairy pots have been launched by Rachel’s, a leading UK premium organic dairy brand.

Moving from polystyrene to 60 per cent recycled PET (known as rPET) will significantly cut the amount of plastic sent to landfill, said the company. Its marketing director Steve Clarke told DairyReporter.com that: “By making the switch to r-PET we will save up to 210 tonnes of plastic per year. Better still, we are using materials that might otherwise end up in landfill.”

Using recycled plastic saves energy, cuts carbon use and reduces consumption of finite oil resources, from which new plastic is made, added Clarke.

Just in time for Earth Day, PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay Div. is rolling out compostable packaging bit by bit this year, with a fully compostable bag due out on Earth Day in 2010. Applied to bags of its SunChips brand, a popular line of multigrain snacks, the plant-based, biodegradable material is a structure made of NatureWorks’ (www.natureworksllc.com) polylactic acid (PLA) film, said to decompose over 14 weeks when placed in a hot, active compost bin or pile—at home or at an industrial composting site.